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To: ManyMoose who wrote (1816)	8/14/2009 11:28:44 PM
From: SmoothSail	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9622

This is Bill Pack being interviewed by Forbes. Short, but it'll give you an idea of him. forbes.com

To: ManyMoose who wrote (1816)	8/25/2009 3:33:30 PM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9622

Sony to Sell Wireless Reader to Challenge Kindle (Update2) / By Amy Thomson Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Sony Corp., challenging Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle device, said it will start selling a version of its electronic-book reader that can download titles using a wireless connection. The $399 device, called the Daily Edition, will be available in December, Steve Haber, president of Sony’s reader unit, said at an event in New York today. The model will use AT&T Inc.’s “third-generation” network, tapping the second-largest U.S. wireless carrier. The Kindle uses No. 3 carrier Sprint Nextel Corp.’s network. Sony, the maker of Bravia televisions and Cyber-shot cameras, is adding devices to its lineup as demand for digital books and electronic publications increases. The new reader will be able to hold more than 1,000 e-books, compared with 1,500 and 3,500 for the two Kindle models. Earlier this month, Sony showed models that are cheaper than the Kindle after Amazon.com cut the price of its device. Daily Edition users will have access to digital books from 9,000 libraries, including 40,000 titles from the New York Public Library, Sony said. Customers can check out books online from their local library’s digital collection, with the title disappearing from the device at the end of the lending period. In March, Sony gained access to more than 500,000 e-book titles for its readers through an agreement with Google Inc. The deal expanded Tokyo-based Sony’s e-book store to about 1 million titles at the end of last month, compared with the more than 320,000 Amazon.com offers. AT&T’s Strategy Sales of electronic books more than doubled to $25.8 million in the first three months of 2009 from a year earlier, according to the Association of American Publishers in New York. Digital books still make up less than 2 percent of total U.S. book sales, which declined 7 percent in the first quarter, the association said. AT&T is looking to e-books and other connected consumer devices to increase revenue. Glenn Lurie, the head of emerging devices at AT&T, said in April that the Kindle has done a “phenomenal job” and that AT&T wants to be part of that market. The Dallas-based company said last month it will sell an electronic reader with Plastic Logic Ltd., scheduled to come out in 2010. The industry needs new revenue sources as the U.S. mobile- phone market nears saturation. Almost nine out of 10 U.S. residents had a wireless device at the end of last year, according to the CTIA wireless-industry association. Verizon Wireless, which surpassed AT&T as the largest U.S. mobile carrier last year, is making a similar bet. The company announced a partnership with Qualcomm Inc. in July that would help electronics makers add wireless capabilities to products. Amazon.com, based in Seattle, gained 23 cents to $84.73 at 1:47 p.m. New York time on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Sony fell 0.2 percent to 2,515 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. AT&T rose 28 cents to $26.42 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading, and Overland Park, Kansas-based Sprint fell 6 cents to $3.77. To contact the reporter on this story: Amy Thomson in New York at athomson6@bloomberg.net Last Updated: August 25, 2009 13:54 EDT